Posted on 12/04/2006 7:52:47 PM PST by Pyro7480
'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children
By John-Henry Westen
NEW YORK, December 4, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A review of New Line Cinema's The Nativity story by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger of the Franciscans of the Immaculate in the United States, points out that the film, which opened December 1, misinterprets scripture from a Catholic perspective.
While Fr. Geiger admits that he found the film is "in general, to be a pious and reverential presentation of the Christmas mystery." He adds however, that "not only does the movie get the Virgin Birth wrong, it thoroughly Protestantizes its portrayal of Our Lady."
In Isaiah 7:14 the Bible predicts the coming of the Messiah saying: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." Fr. Geiger, in an video blog post, explains that the Catholic Church has taught for over 2000 years that the referenced Scripture showed that Mary would not only conceive the child miraculously, but would give birth to the child miraculously - keeping her physical virginity intact during the birth.
The film, he suggests, in portraying a natural, painful birth of Christ, thus denies the truth of the virginal and miraculous birth of Christ, which, he notes, the Fathers of the Church compared to light passing through glass without breaking it. Fr. Geiger quoted the fourth century St. Augustine on the matter saying. "That same power which brought the body of the young man through closed doors, brought the body of the infant forth from the inviolate womb of the mother."
Fr. Geiger contrasts The Nativity Story with The Passion of the Christ, noting that with the latter, Catholics and Protestants could agree to support it. He suggests, however, that the latter is "a virtual coup against Catholic Mariology".
The characterization of Mary further debases her as Fr. Geiger relates in his review. "Mary in The Nativity lacks depth and stature, and becomes the subject of a treatment on teenage psychology."
Beyond the non-miraculous birth, the biggest let-down for Catholics comes from Director Catherine Hardwicke's own words. Hardwicke explains her rationale in an interview: "We wanted her [Mary] to feel accessible to a young teenager, so she wouldn't seem so far away from their life that it had no meaning for them. I wanted them to see Mary as a girl, as a teenager at first, not perfectly pious from the very first moment. So you see Mary going through stuff with her parents where they say, 'You're going to marry this guy, and these are the rules you have to follow.' Her father is telling her that she's not to have sex with Joseph for a year-and Joseph is standing right there."
Comments Fr. Geiger, "it is rather disconcerting to see Our Blessed Mother portrayed with 'attitude;' asserting herself in a rather anachronistic rebellion against an arranged marriage, choosing her words carefully with her parents, and posing meaningful silences toward those who do not understand her."
Fr. Geiger adds that the film also contains "an overly graphic scene of St. Elizabeth giving birth," which is "just not suitable, in my opinion, for young children to view."
Despite its flaws Fr. Geiger, after viewing the film, also has some good things to say about it. "Today, one must commend any sincere attempt to put Christ back into Christmas, and this film is certainly one of them," he says. "The Nativity Story in no way compares to the masterpiece which is The Passion of the Christ, but it is at least sincere, untainted by cynicism, and a worthy effort by Hollywood to end the prejudice against Christianity in the public square."
And, in addition to a good portrait of St. Joseph, the film offers "at least one cinematic and spiritual triumph" in portraying the Visitation of Mary to St. Elizabeth. "Although the Magnificat is relegated to a kind of epilogue at the movie's end, the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is otherwise faithful to the scriptures and quite poignant. In a separate scene, the two women experience the concurrent movement of their children in utero and share deeply in each other's joy. I can't think of another piece of celluloid that illustrates the dignity of the unborn child better than this."
See Fr. Geiger's full review here:
http://airmaria.com/
Nor are all Orthodox I imagine. Most churches are full of the biblically/historically illiterate.
Bedtime. Goodnight all.
The Church is a communion of faithful, united to Christ in the sacrament of baptism and obedient to His apostles. It is most certainly not a club in any sense -- that would be donatism.
Three typologies exist for the Church: the mystical body of Christ, the mystical bride of Christ, and the Blessed Virgin our mother. All three are complementary.
The Orthodox were persecuted and probably by some of the same folks.
Try having all your Churches seized by a foreign king. and being arrested or killed if you didn't add 'and from the son' to your recitation of the creed.
Still the Ukrainians got off easy, at least they could still write in their language, unlike the Belarussians when they underwent similar persecution.
Frankly lookup Costantinople in 1250, and Zara some months earlier. Pretty much the first Christian on Christian persecution in history, and the Orthodox were on the receiving end.
To say nothing of what the athiests did, sending more Orthodox to death in workcamps than the Nazis did Jews.
I'd challange you to have pascha dinner with an Orthodox US family of your choice and see whether any of them find the Da Vinci Code plausible, or the ressurection unlikely.
I had some of that in my entree, chap chae and bulgoki. Tiramisu for dessert.
:>)
Oh, they show evidence, dear friend, by listing every heresy that popped up, as 'evidence" of the "Baptist church" all the way to Anabpatists, the people even Lutherans did their best to exterminate as heretics (imagine)! Some pedegree to boast about.
it's 'hellenized' (y'know, "y" is a "u"), or something like that.... :)
I guess I should have spell-checked before I hit the "send" key. It's late...enjoy your chap hae and bulgoki...
a curcive i in russian looks like a lower case u... not sure about greek script though...
Yet what we do will be used for our judgment, to each man accoridng to what he has done. The parable about talents leaves no doubt that God is not indifferent to what we do.
In other words, talk is cheap. Show me your faith, says the Apostle, by works.
Probably not.
:>)
Jam 2:14 ¶ What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
More protestant captiuatltion to the practices of men who contradict scripture.
These churches twist scripture to support their invented traditions.
you see! You weren't mispelling, just mixing languages. happens at our house all too often.
poor cat must be very very confused.
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